Once a popular pit stop for holidaymakers headed to the coast and a drawcard for foreigners, Graaff-Reinet is fast becoming an empty shell as businesses — unable to survive without tourism — have been forced to shut.

Coffee shops, nurseries and even museums — almost entirely reliant on visitors to the quaint Karoo town — are battling to stay afloat as the lockdown, which recently entered its 100th day, continues to bite...